


to be known

by amonkeysue



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Clintasha Advent 2018, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, brief moments of some of the other Avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-20 22:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17031402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amonkeysue/pseuds/amonkeysue
Summary: Assorted ficlets for the 2018 Clintasha Advent. Prompts are in the chapter titles.





	1. Emotions

**Author's Note:**

> These are not going to be in day order thanks to general life causing a delay to being able to be involved, but there will be several!  
> Other Clintasha Advent material from me is over at widowsresolve on Tumblr ([here](http://widowsresolve.tumblr.com/tagged/clintasha-advent)).

The way she used and said his name always was a fairly reliable indicator of how she was feeling towards him.

A “Barton” with an eye roll or barely restrained smile was obvious amusement, Natasha only letting so much through in the surrounding company. It was especially prevalent around the team as they all adjusted to spending significantly more time in each other’s presence.

He also knew he’d said or done something funny in the dad humor sort of vibe when she used “Barton” in private, sometimes wryly shaking her head in accompaniment.

Conversely, a flat “Barton” with an even stare in Clint’s direction usually indicated that he was in some sort of trouble. He could gather what the frustration was about depending on whether anyone else was around.

They usually discussed the matter alone anyhow, whether it was frustration at his trying to pass off an injury, not giving her an update on a dangerous mission, or something similar.

She’d only been mad enough at him once to use his full name, quietly berating him in the hospital for almost getting himself killed.

“Clint” was generally softer, reserved for the two of them and only with close friends. It always accompanied their most private moments and entailed the lighthearted teasing and intimacy of their affection.

Not that there weren’t serious moments involving his name too, but most frustrations leaned more towards “Barton.”

There always was a note of amused teasing to either of them using “Agent” outside of high-level SHIELD meetings, always happy to help subtly feed the murmurs and rumors about their prestige.

Clint only used “Romanoff” to be formal or teasing, the latter always eliciting a small smile from Natasha.

His own use of “Natasha” varied, but she always could easily tell his accompanying emotions. A tight set to his jaw showed concern, an accompanying roil in his voice bespoke frustration. A smile was easy evidence for amusement and a general sense of happiness.

More often than not “Tasha” or “Nat” carried soft shared moments, warm and comforting even in the tensest of circumstances. 

It was always handy to be able to read each other with only a few small cues.


	2. SHIELD & Avengers

They had walked into working with the Avengers knowing full well it would be a transition between their usual SHIELD work and the new responsibilities associated with the team.

That didn’t take away from it being a decided adjustment.

On a mission Natasha found herself instinctively looking over and frowned when Steve wasn’t quite where she wanted him to be. With Clint it was easy to just fall in their unspoken communication patterns. It meant that new partnerships had these growing pains when it came to the small-scale communication.

She said as much when Clint asked her how the mission had gone as she settled in beside him. “I realized I’m used to having you on my back anymore on partner ops.”

He chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders. “We’re not STRIKE Team Delta for nothing.”

Natasha broke into a soft smile. “At least I know we’re still up on Fury’s shortlist for special ops. Rogers is good to work with but he’s not you.”

“Well I’m glad for that,” Clint drawled, “Not sure I could take the competition.” He grinned as Natasha rolled her eyes at him. “Everyone’s a little enchanted by Captain America in the flesh.”

She arched a brow at him, slightly twisting and tipping her head back. “Enchanted, huh?”

“He is Steve Rogers.”

Natasha laughed. “No comment about Thor?”

“Eh.” Clint shrugged with his free shoulder, holding back a smile. “If he ever tries to pick up enough covert tactics to run one-on-one missions with you I’ll pretend to be worried.”

“He’s an impressive guy.”

“Oh yeah.” Clint chuckled again. “Should we tell the team yet?”

“Or,” Natasha drew out the word before continuing, also turning to more directly face Clint, “we could make a bet on how long it’ll take for one of them to notice. And Pepper’s excluded after a month from today.”

“Even if she tells Stark?”

“I think Pepper would be inclined to let us come forward on our own terms.” Natasha smirked. “Fifty dollars and I’m betting over four months.”

“I’m gonna say under four, if not three. And can we add taking out the garbage for a week?” After a beat Clint quickly added on, “A week while we’re here and not just seven days in a row.”

“Deal.” Natasha moved a bit closer, resting her hand on Clint’s thigh. “Though we also need to decide what to tell Tony about our respective floors.”

He grinned. “Is it bad to say my main priority is easy access to you? Especially for every time I think of a terrible joke I just know you’ll love?”

Natasha slightly rolled her eyes but smiled back. “As long as JARVIS can give me prior warning.”

“C’mon, you love my jokes,” Clint teased, leaning in.

She met him in a short kiss. “Sometimes.”

“Aww, Nat,” he overdramatically groaned.

“Just remember I love you for other things more,” Natasha meaningfully said. “I didn’t make my choice of a partner lightly.”

He reached for her hand on his thigh, slightly squeezing it. “I know.”

\--

“You owe me fifty,” Natasha brightly teased Clint.

He ruefully shook his head. “You all slightly disappointed me with your observational skills,” he commented to the rest of the team.

Tony innocently shrugged. “Not all of us can be master spies.”


	3. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the smaller details here may not quite be accurate but that's for the sake of creative liberties. :)  
> And a brief addition of Tony in this chapter!

Keeping secrets from Natasha could always be a risky game.

“How many pairs of shades do you own?” Tony wryly asked as he walked with Clint down a street in sunglasses of his own.

“Enough.” Clint adjusted his sunglasses. “How much longer should Pepper and Nat be at lunch?”

“Still for a bit.” Tony paused. “Are you finally going to tell me what all the smoke and mirrors are about here?”

“You’re basically a distraction,” Clint explained as he ducked into a jewelry store.

Tony raised an eyebrow but followed him inside. “Barton, are you taking advantage of my fame?”

“Something like that.” Clint waited a moment before pushing his sunglasses up as a sideways look was sent his way. “Don’t tell anyone but you’re an effective smokescreen. And I really appreciate your help in that regard, I promise.”

“Uhuh.” Tony casually took off his sunglasses and started to browse the items. Keeping his voice quiet, he continued to talk to Clint. “So, since you’re not as easily recognizable an Avenger anyhow, why use me as a smokescreen? What’s the secret?”

Clint took a moment to reply, browsing close to Tony but maintaining a base distance. “That’s a surprise.”

“For Natasha?”

“I’ve already told you too much.” Clint subtly nodded towards a spot behind Tony. “And you’ve been noticed.”

He kept on shopping in the background as Tony gathered more attention, taking a few pictures and making some short conversation. It definitely helped to keep too much attention from sticking to Clint as he checked out with the distracted cashier.

Clint didn’t wait for Tony to leave, but stuck close enough outside to easily catch him.

“Hope you found something good,” Tony commented as he fell back into step with Clint on their way towards one of his cars. (They had really lucked out with parking.)

Clint broke into a smile. “I did.”

\--

Natasha spoke over her shoulder at Clint as she pulled on a sweater. “You feel like sharing why you keep on finding excuses to go out with the team? It’s not that sneaky.”

He smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to the side of her neck from behind. “I know. And trust me, my reveal is coming.” He grinned. “Not to brag but it’s gonna be good.”

“It had better,” she lightly replied, leaning back against Clint and slightly twisting in against him, “You’re giving me expectations.”

\--

There were some opportunities where she honestly expected Clint to show his hand as far as his apparent secret, but he seemed content to wait. Natasha trusted that he had a good reason for not telling her upfront, but she still was curious.

He managed to slightly surprise her when he finally acted.

“So,” Clint started a little after they’d settled down for their ‘vacation’ at the farmhouse, “remember that really convenient lunch with Pepper and how I kept on going out with the team?”

“I already figured Tony’s planning on proposing to her soon, so that better not be your secret,” Natasha wryly replied.

“It’s not.”

She propped her arm on the back of the couch. “Well, Barton?”

“Just a sec.” Clint leaned back to grab something he’d slipped just under the edge of the couch, keeping it relatively hidden from Natasha’s view. “So I know we don’t need the traditional gestures but I thought it’d be nice to have something small that you can use for when it works.” He presented Natasha with a small box. “And what do you think about a small ceremony?”

“Official tradition is unlike us,” Natasha teased as she took the box and opened it. Inside was a thin ring band with a singular diamond inset. She pulled it out of the box, which Clint set aside on the coffee table as she pulled the ring on. “But I suppose we know more people who would like to be involved in a ceremony anyhow.” Natasha smiled. “And I’m not opposed to a small event.”

Clint grinned back. “Natasha Romanoff, will you marry me?”

“Absolutely.” She leaned in for a kiss, slipping her hands up on his shoulders as he hugged her to him.

He pressed their foreheads together when they pulled back. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Natasha prompted another quick kiss. “But wedding planning can wait for at least a little bit.”

He chuckled. “And that’s another reason why I’m glad to be keeping this small.”


	4. Celebrations

One of the last things Natasha had expected was a small surprise party for her five-year anniversary as a SHIELD agent.

Maria and Coulson gave her a quick congratulations before apologizing about having to step out on official business. Fury was also a quick visitor, with Melinda staying only a little longer than the other three before also apologetically stepping out.

Clint shrugged as he walked up to Natasha. “Guess we’re going to be eating cake for several days yet.”

“You had to know that was going to be the case when we’re talking about how we all work for SHIELD,” she lightheartedly teased. “But this was a nice gesture regardless.”

“It’s an important day.”

“Thanks for making a different call.”

He looped his arms around her waist, gently prompting Natasha closer. “And I’m so glad for that every single day.”

“You are such a sweetheart.” Natasha also hugged Clint closer, smiling at him. “You didn’t plan any party games, did you?”

“No.” He paused. “Would you want some?”

“They sound a little trite so no, I’m good. I do want to start on that cake though.”

Clint chuckled and let go of Natasha to head towards the cake. “Glad I made a good choice there. Even if no one else gets to try it.”

“No complaints about more chocolate for us.” She waited for Clint to cut her a generous slice and accepted it, taking a bite before saying anything more. “Did you have anything planned for this beyond the cake and congratulations from the others?”

“Not really, though I had hoped they’d be able to stick around for at least a bit longer.” He shrugged with one shoulder. “But I’m not gonna complain about just spending time with you today.”

Natasha had taken another couple bites of cake. “Think we can get away with leaving early?”

“Maybe if we ask really nicely.”


	5. Days Off

Days off (when not due to injury) very rarely involved sitting still for either of them. You didn’t find yourself in business with SHIELD if you were the type who could comfortably do too much of nothing.

Clint always made sure he had something to keep his hands busy. Sometimes that meant tinkering with new types of arrowheads – trick arrows, as he’d been calling them. The physical tinkering was always comforting, and new ideas led him to plenty of research and conversations for tips and tricks from the SHIELD engineers. The testing process was always a bit of an adventure on top of it. When Natasha was around she kept a safe distance, watching with a slightly amused smile as Clint fired shots with varying degrees of success in the end results.

He also loved trying out new recipes, the results of which were generally well received. The disasters were often used as fodder for teasing.

(“Think I’m going to try a crème brulee today,” Clint said, leaning over to press a kiss to Natasha’s temple.

She arched a brow at him, smiling. “Dare I remind you about the last time you used a blowtorch on food? The definitely slightly burned baked Alaska?”

“Aww, Nat,” he groaned, smiling back, “that was one time.”)

Natasha’s go-to days off activities varied, largely including reading and the occasional puzzle. After stumbling across a keyboard she had decided to slowly start to pick up the piano, figuring it could come in handy some day and enjoying the act of practicing and creating something nice.

Her running schedule was always best when Clint was able to accompany her, and they tried to make time for hikes whenever possible, time permitting. Often staying in New York meant that some great locations were relatively close by, but they always were a significant time commitment.

Natasha braided her hair over her shoulder as she reached the ends. “I think we’ve got time we could tackle a trail today.” She smirked. “If you’re up for it.”

Clint whistled, grinning. “If I’m up for it? Nat, you know how I feel about a riveting hike in the great outdoors.”

She walked over to rest a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Then let’s get moving, Barton.”


	6. Dates

“My op got postponed,” Natasha told Clint with a smile, “So if something hasn’t come up last minute for you we should make plans for the night.”

“Last minute date nights are our specialty,” he teased.

“And how spontaneous are we feeling today?”

“Eh.” Clint shrugged with one shoulder. “Going out would be nice.”

They ended up quickly grabbing dinner at a favorite small restaurant before ending up at a karaoke night they’d spotted a flier for.

Natasha leaned close to whisper, “Remind me why it seemed like a good idea to encourage ourselves to semi-publicly sing?”

He chuckled in response. “Since ideally our faces are unknown enough that anyone who would recognize us is going to have drunk enough not to since karaoke gets a lot of people’s nerves up?” He slightly adjusted his arm around her shoulders. “And since you know I’m a good singer.”

“You don’t show that off nearly enough,” she murmured in agreement.

Clint grinned and quickly ducked to press a kiss to her temple. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

Natasha smiled back, nudging his side with her elbow. “Then you had better get going and impress me,” she lightly said.

“I know.”

After some waiting for Clint’s turn to come up, he finally stepped up to the microphone, eagerly grinning at Natasha while the opening measures to Journey’s “Faithfully” played. Through the whole song he made sure to continue to grin at her, his grin not vanishing even after he sat back down beside her.

“Nice job,” she whispered, putting her hand over his on the table.

“Hard to go wrong when I’ve got you to impress.”

“You always do a good job of that.”

Clint leaned in. “Are we going to hear anything from you?”

She squeezed his hand. “Mmm, you know I only sing in front of strangers when it’s for a mission.” She gave a sideways nod. “And right now it’s fun to hear what these strangers are singing.”

“Maybe later?”

Natasha warmly smiled. “We’ll see.” She leaned in against Clint as he again put his arm around her shoulders. “But I do think we’re enjoying ourselves pretty well for now. Keeping a low profile, having some fun, a break from work…”

“Yeah,” he happily hummed, “it’s a fun date night.”


	7. Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can and will come up with many introductions of the arrow necklace! :)

Without opening his eyes, Clint hugged Natasha closer as she rolled back towards him. “That was just an alarm and not a last-minute mission request, right?” he sleepily murmured.

“We’re both staying here for the day,” she reassured.

“It’s nice to have a Christmas together where we’re actually together. I like this a whole lot better than being on separate continents.”

Not that it was purposeful planning on SHIELD’s part and more just how it worked out for two of their very capable agents. Coulson had always been extremely apologetic about the matter, but it wasn’t as though it had ever strictly bothered Clint or Natasha. They had fully known that periods of separation were a part of their relationship entering into it.

Still, that didn’t mean that they hadn’t started making actual holiday plans upon realizing that no missions were looming for either of them.

It was no small relief that they were actually working out.

Natasha snuggled closer to Clint. “You make pretty good company.”

He opened his eyes as he chuckled. “Only pretty good? Aww, Nat, you wound me.”

“You can take it,” she teased back, resting a hand against his chest. “But do I need to remind you that we had actual plans beyond hanging out in bed?”

“Yep.” Clint shifted for a quick kiss. “Pancakes coming up.”

\--

Upon realizing light snowflakes were beginning to fall outside, Clint took it upon himself to serenade Natasha with his most faithful rendition of “White Christmas” as they got ready to head out.

A tiny silver arrow hung at Natasha’s throat, one of the subtlest gifts she’d ever gotten but also one of the most significant for them. Clint had presented it with a disclaimer that he knew how much a clear symbol like that meant in their line of work, but Natasha had quickly cut him off, softly smiling at him.

“It’s perfect. And you know it’s a statement I’m willing to make when you’re involved.”

Clint had to smile over at Natasha as he finished with his button-up. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” she meaningfully said, putting in earrings before gesturing behind him. “Can you grab my brown coat?”

“Got it.” He draped the coat over his arm, fidgeting with his other hand at his collar. “Bow tie or long tie, you think?”

“Eh, the bow tie might be a little much. Red tie?”

He nodded. “Kinda what I was thinking.”

Natasha took the coat off his arm and started to pull it on. “This all feels so… domestic. I am literally about to ask you if the gift is still in the kitchen, we have a semi-fancy Christmas party with the apartment residents…”

Clint gave another nod as he pulled on his tie. “Now that you mention it domestic is definitely the word for it.” He shrugged with one shoulder. “It’s not something I exactly expected either but it’s a nice development.”

“If our schedules make time for it we should try to be domestic more often,” Natasha said with a soft smile. “And the gift is still in the kitchen, right?”

**Author's Note:**

> Other Clintasha Advent material from me is over at widowsresolve on Tumblr ([here](http://widowsresolve.tumblr.com/tagged/clintasha-advent)).


End file.
